Major CCNY Grant for Remote Sensing

A consortium of universities led by City College has just received a $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish a Center for Remote Sensing Science and Technology. The funds will support programs aimed at atmospheric, environmental, and oceanic sciences. Remote sensing is the art of obtaining information about atmospheric or environmental phenomena from optical devices placed on satellite or land-based platforms.

One example of potential remote sensing applications offered by the consortium's director, CCNY engineering professor Reza Khanbilvardi, is the study of optical properties of turbidity, algae, and other suspended inorganic matter in coastal waters. More generally, remote sensing will permit the development of algorithms for satellite sensors monitoring atmospheric gases, clouds, and aerosols.